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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. bound — certain
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bound — tied together
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. fork — in a road
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. rash — hasty
  10. rash — a series
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. mark — a grade
  18. bound — obliged
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. mark — a trace
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. saw — the tool
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. straw — a straw man

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com